Return to colleges, higher edu dept directs faculty members

Return to colleges, higher edu dept directs faculty members

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:7.8.2021

With online classes for arts and science and engineering colleges scheduled to begin from August 9, the Tamil Nadu higher education department has directed all faculty members to attend colleges on all working days without fail.

The higher education department announced that online classes for the 2021-22 academic year for all students, except first year students, will commence on August 9.

"The Covid protocol and standard operating procedures (SOPs) prescribed by the government from time to time should be followed in the campus and it is also instructed that the faculty members of government, governmentaided arts and science colleges, engineering colleges shall attend the college on all working days without fail," a letter from higher education department said.

In government arts and science colleges, the college level admissions would begin after August 10. The applications to 143 colleges are being received online till August 10. So far, more than two lakh applications have been received against one lakh seats available in government colleges..

"Government colleges will need all faculty members to conduct admissions for undergraduate programmes. The Tamil Nadu Government Arts and Science Admissions (TNGASA) committee would send the course wise rank list to individual colleges. The faculty members need to call each and every student to confirm the admissions," said T Veeramani, president of Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association (TNGCTA).

He further said the reopening of physical classes should be based on the possibility for Covid-19 third wave.

However, M S Balamurugan, general secretary of Association of University Teachers said, the teachers need not be called to colleges for conducting online classes. "The faculty members are already attending the admission related works. Faculty members should be asked to come to colleges only if colleges reopened physical classes," he said.

HC blocks govt move on varsity named after Jaya

HC blocks govt move on varsity named after Jaya

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:7.8.2021

In a setback to Tamil Nadu government’s bid to scrap the previous AIADMK government’s law forming and naming a new university after Jayalalithaa, Madras high court quashed a student admission notification issued by Thiruvalluvar University.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu quashed the notification on a petition moved by former law minister C Ve Shanmugam.

The impugned notification issued by Thiruvalluvar University invited applications for admission to post-graduate courses for the colleges that were now falling under the jurisdiction of newly established Dr J Jayalalithaa University.

On August 3 itself, when the plea was taken up for admission, the court had made it clear that the state could not go ahead with the admissions when the law for establishment of Jayalalithaa University was still in existence. On Friday, when the plea came up for hearing again, advocate-general R Shunmugasundaram informed the court that the state had now passed a GO amending the jurisdiction of the Annamalai University enabling it to affiliate colleges in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Mayiladuthurai districts.

A proposal had also been made in the GO to repeal the Dr J Jayalalithaa University Act, he added.

Recording the same, the court said, “There is no doubt that the state legislature has equal authority to repeal a statute as it has to enact a statute in respect of matters falling within its legislation domain.”

There is, equally, no doubt that the present government may intend to repeal the Act and has issued a notification indicating such intention. However, till such time that a law is in place and its operation has not been stayed in accordance with law, the provisions of such law need to be followed, the court said. “Seen in such light, the admission notification issued by the university inviting applications to post-graduate courses at its extension centre in Villupuram could not have been issued...,” the court added.

The bench then quashed the notification dated June 25 and disposed of the plea.

Do not terrorise judges with voluminous petitions: SC

Do not terrorise judges with voluminous petitions: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:7.8.2021

The Supreme Court on Friday sent out a loud message to all client-impressing advocates: “Do not file voluminous petitions to terrorise the judges and risk getting the hearing adjourned”.

Finding it difficult to go through a 51-volume appeals, each running to over 100 pages, filed by the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation against a Bombay high court judgment rejecting its petition challenging the Telecom Regulatory Authority’s New Tariff Order (NTO 2.0), a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant said, “The Supreme Court engaged trucks to carry these volumes of appeals to judges’ residences to enable them read it and get prepared with the matter.”

“You cannot terrorise us by filing volumes and volumes of appeals. In this case, there are 51 volumes in one petition. You sit together and file a single short convenient volume giving a synopsis of the issue to be adjudicated,” the bench told senior advocates Darius Khambatta, Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Gopal Jain and Amit Sibal, who appeared for the appellants.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, with advocate Sanjay Kapur for TRAI, said that it is a short issue and TRAI will file a two-page synopsis for the judges’ convenience. But, the CJI-led bench said, “You wait. Let them satisfy us with the merits of their appeal.”

The bench ordered, “We direct senior counsel appearing for the petitioners in all the matters to make a convenience volume of all the documents, in consultation with senior counsel for the respondents well in advance and circulate the same.” The bench adjourned the hearing to August 18.

IBF, an umbrella organisation for TV broadcasters, has challenged a Bombay HC judgment upholding TRAI’s NTO 2.0, which set a cap of ₹12 from the existing ₹19 on pay channel prices.

It was to ensure that an effective a-la-carte choice was available to distributors without being handicapped by perverse pricing of bouquets by broadcasters at wholesale level, it said.

TRAI justified its move as one in “public interest”.

It had raised concerns over broadcasters creating bouquets with one or two leading channels and filling it with other less popular channels or even free-to-air channels, making it difficult for consumers to choose channels.

Full report on www.toi.in

Amid Severe Disparity in the MBBS Stipend Paid Across States, Uniform Stipend Policy is Need of the Hour

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No promotion to 2nd year sans clearing exam: Andhra Pradesh HC

No promotion to 2nd year sans clearing exam: Andhra Pradesh HC

TNN | Aug 5, 2021, 04.00 AM IST

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday dismissed the interlocutory application filed by MBBS students seeking directions to promote them to second year without reference to passing of the subjects in first year.

The high court observed that it found no substance in the arguments of the petitioners and promoting them to second year while having backlogs in first year would defeat very purpose of the new regulations brought in by the Medical Council of India (MCI) that are applicable to all medical students across the country.

Justice U Durga Prasad Rao pronounced the judgment dismissing the interlocutory applications moved by the MBBS students who were not promoted to second year because of not passing in all subjects in the first year. They moved the high court seeking 20 per cent grace marks as the question paper given to them was not in accordance with the guidelines given by MCI.

The students argued that according to the MCI guidelines, the question paper should contain multiple choice questions for 20 per cent of total marks. However, the question paper given to them by Dr NTR University of Medical and Health Sciences was not in the prescribed format and consequently they failed in the examination.

As the guidelines prescribe 20 per cent marks, they sought directions to add the marks to them as grace marks and promote them to second year. They filed an interlocutory application to promote them to second year without referring to passing of first year subjects pending disposal of the petition.

Schools likely to reopen for Classes IX-XII from Sept. 1

 Schools likely to reopen for Classes IX-XII from Sept. 1

07/08/2021

Opening up: Schools can reopen for senior classes with 50% strength, complying with the SOPs. M. VedhanVEDHAN M

“The experts said children were depressed as they continued to remain indoors, and this had created a gap in the learning process. They pointed out that a majority of the students could not attend online classes [owing to network and gadget issues],” Mr. Stalin said.

He announced that medical and nursing colleges and those offering related programmes would be allowed to resume classes from August 16. “Students and teachers in these colleges, classified as medical staff, have been vaccinated,” he said.

To prevent crowding at public places, Mr. Stalin announced that worship at religious places would not be allowed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The local bodies must ensure that there is no crowding at meat and fish stalls by spreading them out in the open space. The Chief Minister reiterated that shops must supply hand sanitisers to customers and enforce mask mandates and physical distancing norms.

“Action will be initiated against commercial and other establishments that do not follow the guidelines and allow more customers than the stipulated number,” Mr. Stalin said.

Collectors and local bodies are to undertake micro-level containment activities, he said. The test-track-treat-vaccinate COVID-19-appropriate behaviour formula is to be strictly followed.

Mr. Stalin requested the people to extend their cooperation to the government.